Former ATF Deputy Director Rich Marianos put it bluntly: “The same people that are manufacturing fentanyl are manufacturing these vapes.” For years now, illegal disposable vape products have been making their way from our foreign adversaries onto the shelves of countless American corner stores and local shops, and criminal organizations are the ones making this operation possible.

Federal investigators found that the routes Chinese manufacturers employ to smuggle their illicit products are the exact same routes long used by infamous groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Criminal networks are able to move these products through channels they already control while raking in an easy profit. This transnational business has proven to be a lucrative one for these groups, with more than 80 percent of vape products sold in America currently being unauthorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That is particularly concerning given the backlog of products awaiting FDA approval.

The FDA must move faster on these applications, and as it approves or rejects individual products, it must publish a definitive list of exactly which specific products........

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